Fuel-feeding device.



No. mm2-sof y WI TN ESSES afm PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907. G. W. GARDNER.

FUEL PEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5. 1906.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IN VENTOR. Cemzge W. Gardner- ATTORNEYS.

(Il l v un. FUHNAOESW PATBNTD Nov. 5, 1907.

G. W. GARDNER. FUEL FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 5. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

I N VEN TOR 4 WITNESSES:

George YV Gardner) BY M ATTORNEYS rn: Nunms Frnms co'. wllsmmron. l

l PATENT .OFFICE GEORGE W. GARDNER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CLIFORNIA.

FUEL-FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

lpplication filed J une 5. 1906. Serial No. 320.352.

. and others with fuel in an automatic and regulated manner.

It is in some respects an improvement upon feeding devices shown in an application for patent filed by me March 22, 1906 and numbered 307476, and like the apparatus therein shown is particularly intended to facilitate the use of shavings, sawdust, and refuse produced in planing-mills, saw-mills, and other Woodworking plants. Its construction and mode of operation adapt it however to the automatic feeding of other fuels, and I therefore do not-desire to be limited so far gate will pass down the chute.

as the nature of the material fed is concerned.

The present invention relates more particularly to means for furnishing successive charges of fuel to a furnace, and further to means for feeding a plurality of furnaces such means having a common operating mechanism.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a battery of two boiler furnaces, to which my feeding apparatus is applied, one of the feed-chutes being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the automatic means for alternately operating the valves or gates which control the supply of charges of fuel in the respective feeding chutes. Fig. 3 is a plan view of that part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 the chutes being shown in cross section. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism through which power is applied to devices which alternately operate the supply valves. Fig. 5 is a detail view of means by which a furnace can be cut off from the fuel supply.

In these drawings l, 1 indicate two boiler furnaces, cach of which is supplied with fuel through a chute 2. These chutes are both connected' to the throat of a hopper 4 into which leads the fuel inlet pipe, passage or trunk 3. The throat of the hopper contains a swinging gate by which the fuel, admitted in mass above it is deflected into the feed chutes alternately and preferably into charge chambers in the respective chutes as described in the application referred to. Such gate is not shown, because its construction is fully indicated.

in my application before referred to; and for the same reason I have not shown the fuel dump or like source of fuel supply, or any connection from it to .the furnace feed hopper, or any chute for conveying an excess of fuel back to the source of supply, or any blower or fan for drawing the fuel into'the hopper. Neither are the telescopic charge chambels shown herein as they are fully described in said application.

Forming, when closed, bottoms for the charge chambers and at the same time closing the chutes, are gates 5 which with the shafts 6 which form their hinges, are shown in plan view in Fig. 3; in operation they will, alternately, retain and discharge in the chutes, fuel deflected i-nto such chutes above them. Each shaft 6 carries a lever 7 having at one end a counterweight 8. The other end of each lever is shown with a rounded face and a flat face, and the latter face may be, normally'supported by the end of alsimilarly shaped and counterbalanced lever 9. The construction is the same for both chutes and the operating mechanism is common to both. If either lever 7 is depressed by pressure exerted between its pivot, which is the shaft 6 and its supported end, such end will pass the end of lever 9 the gate 5 will turn downwardly with the shaft v 6 to which it is secured, and the charge above such When the pressure has ceased, the counterweight 8 will close the gate by restoring lever 7 to its normal position, the rounded ends of the two levers permitting one to pass the other and to be supported by it. The lever 9 although shown and described does not constitute an essential part of the apparatus because a proper counterweight 8 will keep the lever 7 in normal position. Both gates are normally closed.

On each lever 7 is journaled a roller 1l best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. I prefer to use rollers, but of course ycan employ opposing inclines or any other device which will permit the passage of the inclines 13, 14 hereinafter described. These rollers are situated at the proper points relatively to the respective levers for the application of the pressure just referred to. This roller 11 is shown in Fig. 5 as carried by an arm 10 which is properly formed into a journal upon which said roller p can turn. This arm 10 is hinged upon the lever 7. A

vcord 20 extends to the furnace room, so that the engineer can raise the roller to the position of dotted lines in Fig. 5 and thereby place it out of the path of the means for producing pressure upon said roller, lever, and the gate carried by said lever. The means for producing this pressure, comprises an endless chain 12 suitably supported and having secured to its links inclines or wedges 13, 14. The relation of these wedges to the rollers 11 is very clearly indicated in Fig. 2 from which it will be seen that an incline 13 is just about to depress the lever 7 of the left hand chute, while the next incline 14, is at some distance from the roller of lever 7 at the right hand. Hence the left hand gate is open and closed before the right hand gate is affected. The incline 14 shown in Fig. 2 as nearest the right hand roller and lever will depress that-lever and continuing its travel will operate the left hand devices before the succeeding roller 13 arrives at the right hand devices.

Thus the charges of fuel accumulated alternately above the gates 5 are alternately discharged through the respective chutes into the respective furnaces.

The manner of operating the chains and the devices controlled by it, is best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 in connection with Fig. 1. In suitable bearings in the structure which supports the apparatus, is journaled a shaft 15 capable of vendwise movement. Motion is transmitted to this shaft in any suitable way, preferably by connections to a pulley or as shown to a sprocket wheel 16 the hub of which is mounted upon the shaft. One of the shaft bearings 17 is movable on the structure being connected thereto by a bolt 18 passing through a slot 19 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The other end of the shaft 15 carries a friction disk 21, which is adapted for frictional contact with a similar disk 22; and the disk 22 is feathered upon a counter-shaft 23 which carries one of the pair of wheels which support the chain 12. V Above the chain is a guard 12 to produce sufficient resistance to insure the depression of lever 7 by preventing the chain from yielding upwardly. The shaft 15 within the movable bearing 17 has a concave end which fits a similarly shaped recess in the bearing itself, and which takes the pressure transmitted through the roller 24. This roller is journaled in a yoke at the end of a lever 25. pivoted at 26 and having a counterweighted arm 27 as shown in Fig. 1. When this lever is operated so as to cause the roller 24 to press against the movable bearing 17, that bearing and the shaft l5 will be moved bodily so as to bring the disks 21 and 22 into frictional engagement and thereby operate the chain 12. To the long'end of the lever 25 is connected a rope 28 which, after passing over a guide-pulley 29 is connected to a lever 31. This lever is pivoted to the structure at 32, carries a weight 33 and may be provided with a series of holes, as shown, so that the rope 28 can be attached in any desired relation to the fulcrum of the lever. As a convenient way of controlling these devices, I show a pipe 34 having a cock 35 adapted to receive steam by connections from the boilers in a well known way. This pipe enters a chamber 36 having a suitable diaphragm or piston, whose stem projects beyond the chamber into contact with the lever 31 as indicated in Fig. 1. There is at all times steam pressure on the diaphragm, which, we will suppose, it is desired to maintain at 120 pounds with this pressure, weight 33 is overcome, weight 27 acts to keep roller 24 from pressing upon bearing 17 and the feeding device is inactive. Should the pressure fall say to 100 pounds the Weight 33 overcomes weight 27 causes roller 24 to move shaft 15 and sets the fuel feeding devices in motion; and their operation will continue until the pressure has been restored to normal.

As it may be desirable at 'times to increase or diminish the rapidity with which the charges of fuel are fed, I have provided a simple change-speed device for controlling the motion of the chain from the furnace room. It has been stated that the friction disk 22 is feathered upon the shaft 23. On the hub of this disk is a yoke 37 formed with a rack 3S. A pinion 39 engages this rack and is .mounted upon a shaft having a bevel gear 41 engaging a similar gear 42 on a vertical shaft 43. The shaft 43 has a hand-wheel 44. By turning the hand-wheel in the proper direction, the relation of friction-disk 22 to driving disk 21 can be varied by moving disk 22 nearer to or farther from the center of disk 21; which of course varies the speed of chain 12 and of the feed mechanism controlled by it.

It will be observed that while two fuel feeding chutes adapted for alternately supplying two furnaces are shown in the drawings, such chutes are supplied from a source common to both; and further that the mechanism for opening the feed gates in the chutes, is common to both chutes and adapted to open their gates alternately; whereby a single controlling mechanism governs the supply` for both furnaces. It is also to be noted that if for any reason it is necessary to shut down one of the furnaces shown, the gate controlling mechanism will operate in connection with the active furnace without any change in the mechanism.

I do not limit myself to the exact constructions herein described and shown in the drawings as I desire to avail myself of such modifications and equivalents as fall properly within the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1` In a fuel feeding apparatus, a feed chute, a normally closed gate therein, a traveling member for opening said gate at intervals, means for varying the speed of said member' and automatic meansstartng and stopping said member.

2. In a fuel-feeding apparatus, a furnace, a feed chute` a hinged gate within said .chute for restraining and passing charges of fuel, an endless traveling chain having means for opening said gate intermittently, a friction disk feathered upon the shaft of one of the supporting wheels for said chain, a rack connected to said friction disk. a pinion for operating said rack, a shaft extending,Y into the furnace room, bevel-gearing connecting said shaft and pinion, a second friction disk, a shaft movable endwise and carrying said last named disk, means for bringing said -disks into frictional contact, and means for keeping them normally out ot' contact.

3. In a fuel-feeding apparatus, a feed chute, a hinged gate therein, a traveling member for opening said gate at intervals, a pair of gears for transmitting motion to said traveling member, a shaft movable endwise. upon which one of said gears is mounted, a lever for movingr said shaft. a fluid pressure device, a weighted lever connected thereto and a connection between said levers; whereby upon :i decrease in steam pressure the weighted lever will, through such connection throw the gearing into operation and cause the movement of said traveling member.

4. In combination with a furnace and with :1 chute for supplying it with fuel, a hinged gate within said chute for restraining and passing charges of fuel, :i lever en the shaft of said gate, a roller hinged on said lever, and a traveling member adapted to operate said lever by contact with its roller such roller being capable of being swung,r out of the path of said travelingr member in order to render the full feed inoperative.

In testimony whereof I ailixed my signature in presence of two witnesses this 16th day of May, 1906.

GEORGE \V. GARDNER.

Witnesses Il. MENIXGER, M. R. Snam'. 

